It wasn’t the usual sold-out crowd but the faculty, students, and family there provided the best Notre Dame atmosphere that they could muster.
The home team Fighting Irish rewarded them with a solid 27-13 win against Duke. The Irish offense didn’t get off to a great start with back to back three-and-outs but things picked up after a fake punt. Notre Dame would finish the drive with their first touchdown of the season on a one yard by Kyren Williams.
The Irish would lead 10-6 at halftime.
In the second half, the Fighting Irish offense seemed to get into a groove with Tommy Rees’ play-calling. Williams’ 26 yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one push Notre Dame’s lead to double-digits. After a Duke touchdown, Notre Dame would respond with an acrobatic catch by Avery Davis for Ian Book’s first touchdown pass of the season.
Running Game
The running game is a work in process. In the first half, Notre Dame could only muster 43 yards on 17 carries. The second half the Fighting Irish running game got cranked up as they finished with 178 yards on 42 carries. Williams would lead with 112 yards (5.9 yards per carry). The offensive line and the running backs looked like the were more on the same page. That could’ve been attributed to the second half play calling by Rees.
Secondary
In the first half, the secondary did a really good job against mobile quarterback, Chase Brice. Notre Dame’s defense made Brice fit his share of passes into tight spaces. At the end of the day, the only downside to the secondary was Kyle Hamilton’s injury.
Ian Book
Mixed bag for Book. His first half interception was a poor decision. He would’ve had another interception if not for a Duke offsides. His overall numbers in the first half weren’t bad. He was 11 for 18 for 185 yards but there was definitely something that was a little off. It’s somewhat understandable considering the Fighting Irish are working in so many new weapons on the outside. Book was 8-13 in the second half with one touchdown to Davis.
In other news, Notre Dame extended Brian Kelly’s contract through 2024.
NEWS |@CoachBrianKelly’s contract extended through 2024 season.
NOTE: Deal was agreed upon in December 2019.
RELEASE: https://t.co/dYqquiVifj pic.twitter.com/JsXSDvHtq3
— Notre Dame Football PR Team (@NDFootballPR) September 12, 2020
